COLLECTORS

The collectors market is smaller in size, but greater in enthusiasm. For many collectors, the anonymity of Middle Eastern weavers is a large part of the interest. Collectors exercise great care in searching for the best examples of a given type of carpet and rug. For collectors, the over-riding requirement is to aspire towards a preconceived idea of an aesthetic and historical value, which are often out-weighed by concerns pertaining to condition and cost. In our experience, with time, collectors tend to become familiar with the certain names and history associated to a given weaving area which drives their passion.

For any collector there are certain weavers from particular workshops or kharkhannas which will always carry a premium in terms of finesse, scarcity and artisan-ship. These names are now synonymous with representing the very pinnacle of artistry demonstrated in the art of carpet weaving in the late 19th and 20th centuries. They are the Master weavers Hadji Mohammed Mochtashem (Kashan, central Persia); Hadji Jalili (Tabriz, north-west Persia); Mohammed & Sadiq Serafian (Isfahan, northern Persia); Dr Hekmatnejad (Isfahan, northern Iran) Faizollah Hagighi (Isfahan/Tabriz, north and north-west Iran); Dabir (Kashan, central Iran); Amoghli and Saber, (Meshed eastern Persia/Iran).